Preservation in store for 25 movies

The documentary “Hoop Dreams” and footage of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake are among the 25 movies picked this year for the National Film Registry, a compilation of significant films being preserved by the Library of Congress.

Fictional films chosen by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington range from the Buster Keaton comedy “The Cameraman” to the Christmas classic “Miracle on 34th Street” to the 1982 teen comedy “Fast Times at Ridgemont High.” Others include “Giant,” “Toy Story,” “The French Connection” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”

The 2005 selections bring to 425 the total number of films being preserved by the Library of Congress or other institutions involved in the project.

“Sadly, our enthusiasm for watching films has proved far greater than our commitment to preserving them,” Billington said.

Half of the movies made before 1950 and 80% to 90% of those produced before 1920 have disappeared, he said. He added that more are lost each year, partly because of the recently discovered “vinegar syndrome” that attacks the safety film used to preserve most of them.